G'day,
I have used the Windows-based program Mailwasher for many years to delete without downloading spam mail from my pop mail account.

Mailwasher has gone commercial, even to having a Linux version apparently, but I have been using the original freeware version which runs well under wine.

I recently Googled wondering if there was an indigenous Linux alternative and found an 'old' Linux package called eremove.

Fluking a tar.gz extraction, reading the README, and finding the missing libs, I got eremove to work in Puppy and happily discovered eremove does the same job as Mailwasher, if in a less belled-and-whistled way.

So I have gone the whole hog and tried to create an eremove pet (which so far works on my computer's Pups) and even to attach it to this post .

I included the four libs in the pet so it's much bigger than the original 18kB tar.gz file.

Maybe someone in the know could add some style, or even create a "peeremover" with perhaps more options for the different types of mail accounts (I assume they all get spam).

1. I normally run Mailwasher version 2.0.28 Beta run within Window 2000 Pro.

Tried installing it under WINE within BoxPup 4.1.3.
It appears to install OK, but it won't run.

2. So I gave this eremove a try.

(a) It runs OK.
Simple to use IF you have all the necessary info to hand [and I did].

(b) Too simple for my liking.
It only fetches from one account at a time...
Then when you delete a SINGLE email [is there any way to choose multiple emails for deletion?], you must "fetch" all over again.
That's a separate fetch for each email you delete!

3. I found that under certain circumstances [can't remember at exactly which point], the program would freeze and CPU usage jumped to 100%.
Had to "Ctrl+Alt+backspace" to drop to a command prompt and use xwin to come back into BoxPup.

4. It would be GREAT to have a Puppy alternative to Mailwasher that did at least the essentials, like:

(a) Able to enter the connect details of ALL accounts so that there's no need to type them in every time.

(b) Able to fetch all the email headers for all accounts in one go.

(c) Able to [at least] tick boxes to delete a list of certain emails.

(d) Would be nice to be able to blacklist/whitelist, and make rules on what to do with emails having specified characteristics.

I'm giving this a try, and so far it seems to be working.
Doesn't place an entry in the menu; must be run using the command smm in a terminal.
Does more than eremove.
Remembers account details.
Looks like it fetches all emails for all listed accounts.
You can click tick boxes to "Keep", "Delete", or "Bounce".
You can even specify what a bounce reports to the sender. [Full, not found, network error]
Various plugins available to blacklist etc.

G'day,
Glad to see you are a Mailwasher fan and tried this alternative.

Brief comments on your points:

1. I found the older versions of Mailwasher (I have something like 1.5) were better than the 'upgraded' versions with Wine. No NAGs either.

2. To delete multiple spams with eremove, I just click on each spam email until they are all high-lighted then hit the Delete button. I only have the one email account but I see the value in being able to process multiple accounts in the one 'sitting'. My single account is remembered by eremove.

3. So far I haven't had a problem with running eremove but it's still 'early days'. I find it closes down awkwardly - having to close both dialog windows unless I hit the X at the top right corner of its main box.

4. Yes, a full Pup package with the Mailwasher capabilities would be very nice.

I have 3 in use right now...
One for my wife and I have 2 identities in use...
One for general use and one for family & friends.
The 4th for my daughter is not in use right now.

smm will fetch the emails for all 3 accounts presently in use.
Not bad.
It just now told me there had been a reply in this thread.
Unfortunately it isn't possible to just click the webpage address to run the default web browser and be taken to the page.
Also although I can highlight the address, it won't copy and paste.

Another negative is having to type a command to run it [now what is that command again? mms? sms? msm?]